Enabling service virtualization in a cloud

Abstract

A service-level specification for information technology services is obtained from a user. The service-level specification is mapped into an information technology specific deployment plan. Information technology specific resources are deployed in accordance with the information technology specific deployment plan to provide the information technology services.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method comprising:
 obtaining from a user a service-level specification for information technology services; 
 mapping said service-level specification into an information technology specific deployment plan; 
 deploying information technology specific resources in accordance with said information technology specific deployment plan to provide said information technology services; and 
 selecting a service template from a plurality of service template alternatives; 
 wherein the selected service template has a plurality of unpopulated parameters that are a best match to parameters that are functions of inputs by the user in the service-level specification; and 
 wherein said information technology specific deployment plan is derived from the selected service template. 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising prompting said user to provide said service-level specification by presenting a simplified request abstraction to said user, wherein said service-level specification is obtained from said user in response to said prompting, and wherein said simplified request abstraction comprises functionality and at least one functionality-describing parameter. 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 1 , wherein said mapping comprises:
 mapping said service-level specification to a service definition in accordance with a knowledge base; and 
 fixing variations and said unpopulated parameters associated with said service definition to obtain said deployment plan. 
 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 1 , wherein said knowledge base comprises at least a priori knowledge. 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 1 , wherein said knowledge base comprises at least a posteriori knowledge. 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising populating said knowledge base. 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising dynamically re-allocating said information technology specific resources based on a change in said at least one functionality-describing parameter. 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 1 , wherein:
 said information technology services comprise cloud computing services; and 
 said information technology specific resources comprise cloud computing resources. 
 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 1 , wherein said mapping comprises:
 mapping said service-level specification to a service definition in accordance with a knowledge base; 
 fixing variations and said unpopulated parameters associated with said service definition to obtain a cloud deployment plan; and 
 mapping said cloud deployment plan to said information technology specific deployment plan. 
 
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising providing a system, wherein the system comprises distinct software modules, each of the distinct software modules being embodied on a computer-readable storage medium, and wherein the distinct software modules comprise a user interface module, a mapper module, and a deployment engine module; wherein:
 said obtaining is carried out by said user interface module executing on at least one hardware processor; 
 said mapping is carried out by said mapper module executing on said at least one hardware processor; and 
 said deploying is carried out by said deployment engine module executing on said a least one hardware processor.